Just a few days after the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a thrilling 30-29 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders, GM James Gladstone made sure this team left town with one of the silver and black's best players coming along for the ride.
The Jaguars won the sweepstakes for Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who had been very public in his demand for a trade for quite some time. Meyers will head to Jacksonville in exchange for a fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The deal helps the raiders dip even further into rebuild mode, all while a Jaguars team sitting at 5-3 in a very open AFC South looks to take advantage of their recent hot streak by making a run for the postseason.
Full details and grade from Jaguars' Jakobi Meyers trade
Raiders receive:
4th-round pick in 2026 NFL Draft + 6th-round pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Jaguars receive:
WR Jakobi Meyers
The Raiders have to be feeling pretty good about getting two NFL Draft picks, including a fourth-round choice, for a player who didn't want to be there and was assuredly not going to be in this team's long-term plans. Jacksonville, meanwhile, benefits just as much from this deal.
The Jaguars have seen Brian Thomas Jr. regress hard this season, and rookie sensation Travis Hunter is scheduled to miss a good chunk of time with an injury. Meyers provides insurance and the possibility of building one of the best wide receiver rooms in the entire league.
A healthy Jags team, in addition to Meyers, will give Trevor Lawrence the chance to throw to Thomas, Hunter, and breakout slot stud Parker Washington at the receiver position. Jaguars wide receiver coach Edgar Bennett, who coached Meyers for years with the Raiders, certainly had some sway with this deal.
The Jaguars may not have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft due to the Hunter trade, but they still had 13 other picks to use on new acquisitions. Jacksonville is by no means emptying its cupboards of draft picks to bring in Meyers, and he is obviously an upgrade.
While some fans might not be thrilled about losing two picks for someone who may be nothing more than a season-long rental at the wide receiver position, this was the best possible move Jacksonville could have made as it pertains to improving the receiver room around Lawrence.
Grade: B+